Lioness, Queen of Tortall
by Lioness Alanna of Trebond
Summary: The thoughts of Jon, George, Alanna and some others if instead of refusing Jon's proposal in the desert Alanna had accepted. Please R/R. Major A/J.


Author's Note-  
This is my first story about Tortall. It's a short story, not chapters or anything. I've written lots of Harry Potter fics under the author name Angelina Johnson, but this is my first post in the Tamora Pierce section. I am a huge A/J shipper, and this is about George, Jon and Alanna's thoughts(as well as several others), in a time frame when Alanna had, instead of refusing, accepted Jon's proposal in the desert. This takes place shortly after Jon's proposal to Alanna in the desert. This is probably really mushy and sappy and stuff. It's pretty long, longer than I thought it would end up. It's a lot longer than my short Harry Potter fics.  
  
Disclaimer-  
I do not own these characters. They belong to Tamora Pierce.   
  
Ladies and Gentleman, I present to you..  
Lioness, Queen of Tortall  
By Lioness Alanna of Trebond  
  
  
George-  
  
Damn. Why Jon? I loved her with all my heart, all of it, I swear. She means the world to me, she always has. I was always there for her, while he was off breaking her heart. I saw the way he hurt her, and I wanted to kill him for it. Mind, he was one of my best friends, just the same as she was, but she meant so much more to me. She wasn't just a best friend, she was the one I wanted to be with, to spend the rest of my day's with. I wanted to marry her, be the father of her children, be there for her through the good and the bad. I wanted to be the one that she came home to after a long battle, I wanted to be the one to hold her in my arms. Oh, she's well enough off with Jon, he loves her, mind you, but not the way I do. My love never wandered. I never doubted my feelings for her. I never had to see her in a dress, looking like a lady, to know how I felt. I loved her when she was just a wee little thing, scared and nervous. As soon as I was told the truth, I loved her. Jon knew, not as soon as I did, mind, but he found out in time, but there was a difference. There wasn't that immediate love for her, like there was from me. He went about, flirting with proper court ladies while she felt betrayed. I would never betray her. Of course, Jon never really betrayed her, he hadn't pledged his love to her while he flirted with the court ladies or while he was off sleeping with Delia of Eldorne, but still!   
Of course, I saw how she blew off my love. I saw how she told me that she would never love, never marry, never anything. But here she was, betrothed to the prince, and there was nothing I could do, nothing at all. She loved him. There had never been that kind of love in her heart for me. She loved me the same way that she loved her brother, not the way that she loved Jon. The look in her eyes when she was with Jon was something that could not be replaced, not even by a crooked lad like me who was blindly in love with her while she was with the prince. Oh, how I would have given anything to be in his place right now. Anything. Even my life. I love her so much that I'd die for her. Would he?  
  
Alanna-  
  
I had fought it, of course. I had fought it for a long time. I argued. I said I wasn't fit to be a queen. I told Jon that he needed to marry the princess of a country that was an enemy of Tortall to form peace. He needed to marry someone that would form an alliance for Tortall, not a lady knight. He needed someone that knew how to be a lady, not a warrior who wanted to be off on adventures. He needed a lady that knew how to be polite and gentle and was willing to bear his heirs, not a woman that would turn the whole of Tortall upside down. He needed this, he needed that, but did he listen to reason? No. He insisted that all that mattered was that he loved me, and that that was enough for him. He said he didn't need or want all of the flirty court ladies who only cared about him because he was the heir to the thrown and not because of who he was. He said that I was all he wanted, all he needed. He said he loved me more than anyone else, and that he could never love anyone the way that he loved me. I looked into his sapphire blue eyes, and I knew that that was what I wanted. Of course I'm scared. I could ruin the whole country with my ignorance and stubborness. But it didn't matter. All that really mattered was that I loved him more than anything, and I wanted to be his and his alone, and I wanted him to be mine. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him.   
My mind had changed so quickly. I remember not too long ago when not only had I never wanted children or a husband, but I didn't want love at all. I had been scared of having someone who cared about me. I had probably been afraid of getting hurt, too. Jonathan had changed all that for me. All I wanted anymore was his love, and I would do whatever it took to keep it, even if it meant marrying him and being the queen. I was reluctant, and it wasn't really what I wanted, but Jonathan was, and I couldn't let him slip away. I know what tempers both he and I have, and if I had said no we would have said things we would have regretted and any chance of us staying together would be thrown down the drain. He had promised me that I could keep my shield, that I would still be allowed to be a knight and go off on adventures. He would even let me dress as I pleased- most of the time. Of course there would be formal dinners and balls and meetings where I would have to be dressed as a proper queen, but...........  
Mithros, I'm scared! I don't want to do anything stupid to get Tortall into a war or perhaps more than one. I didn't want to say something wrong and end up making enemies for the country, but most of all, I didn't want to be a disgrace. I didn't want to embarass Jon, that was the last thing I wanted to do. That was why my initial impulse was to refuse to be queen. But then again, I would die for Jon, and he would die for me. We understand each other, and we respect each other. But most of all, we love each other. And like they say, love conquers all.  
  
Josiane-  
  
I realize that I am supposed to be a proper lady, and never lose my cool, but HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN? I'm in Tortall, awaiting Prince Jonathan's return from the desert so that he can meet me and hopefully chose me to be his queen, and then he comes back and announces that he's getting marrried! And to that be-damned lady knight, of all people. She's not fit to be a queen! She's a joke. A disgrace. How can he want to marry that? It's like he's marrying a man almost. A very pretty man, when dressed up properly, but a man just the same. I am the one around here that is fit to be a queen. I'm the one who knows how to curtsy and walk like a lady and not trip over myself in a dress. I'm the one with the polite manners and the beauty and I can dance and Mithros, why her! What has she got that I haven't? I'd like to know that. A nagging little voice inside me says 'Jonathan's love'. I want to scream. I wish I could strangle that obnoxious little voice, the same way I wish I could strangle that Alanna of Trebond. Jon was supposed to be MINE! I was supposed to win him over, I was supposed to become the queen. But instead I get one lousy dance at his welcome home ball, and I could tell that the whole time he was dancing with me he wanted to be with Alanna. He can have plenty of time with that knight of his later. If he still wants her, once I get through with him. But I am not one to be easily defeated. I'm not giving up Prince Jonathan to that thing without a fight. As a lady, Alanna is a joke. Why can't the prince see that I am so much better suited for him? His parents can't seem to be able to do anything about it, either. King Roald seemed to frown when Jon announced that he and Alanna intended to marry, and Queen Lianne encouraged him to dance with me, to be polite to me. Of course, that can't possible be the only reason he danced with my. He must have recognized my incredible beauty and my politeness and my gentle lady-like ways. Oh, who am I fooling? The prince only danced with me because that was what his mother wanted, and the whole court knows it. Queen Lianne doesn't interfere anymore. King Roald has given up, too. It's up to me.  
It's hopeless.  
  
King Roald-  
  
When Jonathan returned to the palace from the desert, I was not suprised to see Alanna by his side. I was suprised, however, when that night at the beginning of his welcome home ball he announced his intentions to marry Alanna. I had assumed that the two had had some sort of affair when I realized how long Jonathan had known her true identity, but I had no idea that my sons feelings for the lady knight were quite so strong. Of course, I knew what it was like to love. I love my Lianne the way that Jon loves the Lioness, maybe more, perhaps less. I haven't that much knowledge of the two's relationship. All I know is that they intend to marry, so they must love each other enough. I never thought that the Lioness would give up her total freedom. I mean, that was what she had always wanted, was to be a knight and to roam about the country doing good deeds and having adventures. To think that she would actually bring herself to the responsibility of marriage was enough of a shock, but the thought that she would accept to be the next queen........... I was blown away. It shows how little I know the girl.  
I fear that the girl will be a disgrace to the title of queen. She isn't fit for the position. She hasn't the training to be a proper lady. She's sarcastic and she always speaks her mind, no matter how rude it is or whose feelings get hurt. I have a bad feeling about her. She has the capability of unintentionally turning the kingdom upside down.  
Or will she? Back when she was Alan the page, did she not suprise me with how well she fought, or how strong her magic was that she was able to save Jonathan from the Sweating Sickness? Was I not shocked by the way the small and scrawny boy (or so I had believed at the time that she was a boy) was able to ride? Was I not suprised by her fine skills as an archer, scholar and swordsman? Had she not many times made our kingdom proud, what with her defeat (alongside Jon) of the immortal Ysandir, her defeat of Dain, the large Tusaine knight, in a sword fight when she was just a squire, and so many other accomplishments? Had she not been the one to save the whole kingdom from my nephew Roger when he was plotting to steal the throne from my family? Had she not saved Lianne's life by discovering the doll that was slowly growing weaker under the flowing water in Roger's hidden chamber? Certainly the girl had broken rules in doing so, but things had worked out for the best and she had saved the kingdom from an evil sorcerer. Things usually seemed to work out fine for Alanna of Trebond- why should this be any different? If she could learn to be a boy, then why shouldn't she be able to learn to be a lady?  
Maybe this marriage wouldn't be such a bad thing after all.  
  
Queen Liane-  
  
My son, my only heir, arrives home only to announce that he's getting married to Alanna? Of course, Roald and I should have known. We should have seen it long ago. But we let it slip past us, and what has that gotten us? A lady knight for a daughter in law. Of course, nothing's final yet. We could always force Jonathan to marry someone else, like Josiane. Josiane would love to be the queen of Tortall, and she is the type of woman that would make a fine queen. Of course, she couldn't very well be a queen if the future king had no interest in her. I had introduced the two at his welcome home ball, and Jonathan had had no interest. He hadn't even wanted to be polite, but he had, for the sake of me. He even danced with her. But I could always tell when he didn't want to be doing something, and Jonathan definitely did not want to be dancing with Josiane. The whole time he was watching Alanna, his future bride, who had been nearby dancing with her friend Gary. Jonathan had had a glint of jealousy in his eyes. I had seen it, and I think that Josiane saw it two. She seemed angry when she left the ball. Mithros, I hadn't known that my son would return from the desert betrothed! I had promised the poor girl that she would get proper attention from the prince, not get blown off while he went about with his lady knight, showing her off to all. We could force him to marry her just the same, but we would never do that. Roald and I know what it is like to be in love. We were when we married, and we still are. The look I see in Jon's eyes when he's with Alanna, when he's looking at her, even when he's talking about her, or just hears her name, is the same look Roald used to have. As for Alanna, I can tell that she loves Jon just as much as he loves her. And I'm not worried. I see that Alanna will make a good queen when the time comes. She already is brave, and loyal, and in time she will learn to be a true lady just like Josiane and any other proper lady. I can see that she will do just fine, and she will make a good queen. Roald too sees that she has the capability to be one of the finest queens in history, and she can still be a fine knight at the same time. She'll make us all proud one day. We'll see.  
  
Thom-  
  
My sister, the queen? I was shocked. Alanna had never wanted to be a proper lady. I mean, wasn't that the same reason that we had traded places when we were ten? So that she could go and train to be a knight instead of learning to curtsy and dance and to be polite and hospitable like a lady at the convent. And now, the same girl who had refused all traits of a lady at one point was about to become the most important lady in all of Tortall. It all seemed quite funny to me. Alanna had never struck me as the type to get married and settled down. She always wanted to be off on adventures and doing something for the good of the country. She loved to be off fighting and to be independent, and she never wanted to have to worry about anyone being left lonely with her death (should that ever come). She didn't want to have to count on anyone, and she wanted to do it all on her own. She wanted to be a knight, legend, a hero. Not a queen.  
Obviously I knew that she had cared about Prince Jonathan. I had even known that she loved him, even though she had vowed that she would never fall in love. But I had never actually thought that she was going to marry him.  
For a change, I was wrong. The almighty sorcerer was wrong. And you know what? I was glad I was wrong. My sister needed this. My sister needed Jonathan. And he needed her in return. They needed each other, and together they would make the kingdom even greater. Jon wouldn't force Alanna to give up her shield or her adventures. He would only force her to be the great queen that he, and I, know that she can be.  
  
Sir Myles-  
  
I had watched Alanna as she grew up. I saw her as a page, young and scared. I had kept my eye on her ever since I had seen her in my first lesson, her first day at the palace. I had watched her defeat Ralon, a boy much bigger and stronger than her. I had watched her become a great fencer, an even greater archer and rider, even a decent wrestler at the end. She had set her eye to what she wanted, and she had gotten it. And now she was to marry Prince Jonathan and become the queen. I was so proud of the fact that the girl had finally learned to make a commitment, and to love. It was something that she had obviously lacked in her youth, she hadn't had much love in her childhood. Her father had been too busy caring about his books to care about his children, and then her brother Thom had been too absorbed in sorcery to really care anymore. And she had never had her mother. She had made friends quite quickly in Gary, Rauol, Jon and George, and even me, but she had lacked so much love even then. Now she was betrothed to Jon, and the girl would make a damn fine queen one day, just as she was a damn fine knight already. Alanna was a quick learner, and she always accomplished what she wanted to. I wasn't so sure that she wanted to be the queen, but I was sure of one thing. She wanted Jon to be proud of the queen that she could be. She wanted to do anything but let him down.  
  
Prince Jonathan, Heir to the Throne of Tortall-  
  
I had wanted her to marry me. I had wanted her love more than anything. I had known she was a free spirit and that she wanted to go off and do good deeds and be a heroine. But I had asked her to marry me anyway, knowing that she wanted anything but to settle down and have to be a proper lady. But I loved her too much to let her just leave. Of course, if she had refused, knowing my temper, and hers, we would have said something to make each other leave. But she had suprised me by showing me that she loved me enough to stay, and to settle down. She had accepted my proposal, and she would be the future queen of Tortall.  
She had made me the happiest man in Tortall that day. Of course, I could have had just about any princess or nobles daughter I wanted, but Alanna was not so easy to please, yet she had accepted.  
I had known when I asked her to marry me that she was probably not my parents ideal choice for my queen, but I had loved her more than anything else in the world. I loved her so much that I actually would put my love before my duty. I guess I gave the whole kingdom a shock when I returned and announced that I intended to marry Alanna, the Lioness, the Lady Knight. My parents probably thought the same thing that Alanna herself had thought- that she wasn't fit to be queen, that I should marry for the good of the kingdom. She thought I should marry some princess from a foreign country so that we could make peace with them or something, but I loved only her. She said I should marry some stuffy noble that had proper manners and that wouldn't turn the country upside down, but I didn't care. All I cared about was that she was here, with me, and not off somewhere falling in love with some other man. Like George Cooper, the King of Thieves. I had known, of course, that George had loved her, but fortunately she had never returned his love. She only had eyes for me. Thank the goddess for that.  
  
George-  
  
I still loved her. It still hurt. But here I was, with hundreds of people, watching the royal wedding of the future king and queen of Tortall- Prince Jonathan III and Alanna of Trebond. Oh, that lass meant a lot to me, but I knew then and there that I had to let her go. I couldn't try to hold on to her love when it was never mine to begin with. She had always been a free spirit. Now she was tied to Jon, but she would be free of my love. I couldn't love one that was already married- no matter how much of a lie that was. I would always love her, I would just never admit it again. I couldn't do anything to even try to come between Alanna and Jon- they were a perfect match, and nothing I could say or do was going to change that. My love didn't matter- it never had.  
I looked to the front of the chapel. Alanna had never looked more beautiful, and Jon looked awful handsome up there. Both of them looked happier than I had ever seen them look before. Then the priest instructed Jon to kiss the bride. And Jon took her in his arms and kissed her passionately. And a part of me died with that kiss that bound the woman I had always loved to the prince of Tortall.  
  
THE END  
  
  
Author's Note-  
Well, I hoped you liked the story. PLEASE READ AND REVIEW, even if you hated it, because I worked really hard on this. My next story should be out soon- the next one will be an actual story, not just a bunch of people's thoughts. It'll probably be along the same lines- an Alanna/Jon fic. I know she marries George and all, but I still think she should have ended up with Jon, so all my fics will probably have A/J as a side plot, even if it isn't the main theme of the story.  
  
Coming Soon-  
In their later lives, something happens that will change Jon and Alanna's seperate lives forever. They must come together to stop the evil that changed their lives, and in the process, they rediscover their love for each other. A/J, I'm just warning all you J/T or A/G peeps. 


End file.
